Author Topic: Stratego Modification (Read 5204 times)

joel_f · « **on:** July 22, 2013, 12:30:04 PM »

Hey guys, I just noticed that there was such a forum and figured I'd share a game that a buddy and I had worked on for a while after noting some pretty bad balance issues in LOTR Stratego. The idea is that you allow players to choose one of 20 different available races which each player chooses secretly before setup and then reveals simultaneously. Each race has unique characteristics that affect gameplay for their army. I also play a slightly varied version of the original game as a base which I describe in the rules below.

Enjoy and please feel free to comment. It's been playtested extensively, but I'm still not sure if all potential balance issues have been identified and remedied. Also feel free to play if you have a Stratego board and let me know how you like it. Thanks.

[will post rules in a separate comment since it exceeds the limit]

joel_f · « **Reply #1 on:** July 22, 2013, 12:32:37 PM »

Stratego Races (v9.0)

Rules:

2s scout by any number of moves. 3s diffuse bombs when attacking.
Bombs are removed when they are attacked. In an engagement, spies win if they attack and lose otherwise. In combat, both units are revealed, and ties kill both units.

Races are chosen secretly before setup and subsequently revealed. “Damage” done to a unit doesn’t carry across moves. Two diagonal spaces are not adjacent to each other. When a special ability says “n moves away”, any of the intermediate spaces may be blocked by units or water. Special abilities take one move, require revealing the unit, don’t require the opponent to reveal any units, and don’t imply engagement. Attacking units move before engagement. For the purpose of effects, bombs have infinite strength and spies have negative infinity strength. The game is won when a player kills the flag, which has negative infinity strength (bombs and flags die if attacking the enemy flag). Units you acquire have only the abilities of your race. Destroyed units lose effects. Dead units revert to the original owner.

Any of the above rules may be overridden as specified below.

Key:
B – bomb
F – flag
S – spy

Races:

Aliens:
2 – Can fly over water and other units (dies if flag is hit)
5 – Special ability: teleport any friendly unit to an adjacent free space
6 – Special ability: reveal two 6s in the same rank or file to make the space between them impassible to all pieces as long as they remain immobile (the 6s are still vulnerable to attack).
B – A bomb automatically moves toward and kills the first enemy unit that is adjacent to it, after which the bomb is removed. Other engagements are resolved before applying this effect. Only one bomb is triggered at a time.

The Brood:
2 – When scouting, the 2 is attached to the targeted unit, which is permanently revealed. As long as that unit is adjacent to or on the same space as any other enemy units, such units are revealed.
B – Mobile, removed after any engagement. When engaging a unit, all enemy pieces of that rank are permanently revealed. In the case of composite units, all enemy pieces of the rank of each of the enemy’s pieces of which it is comprised are permanently revealed. If the unit was already revealed it is also destroyed.
F – Mobile
S – Wins all engagements with revealed units and loses all other engagements.
Global – -1 strength
A composite unit is considered to be revealed only if all of the pieces of which it is comprised are revealed.

Dragons:
5 – Special ability: choose a target up to 2 moves away. It is hit with 3 damage and all units adjacent and diagonal to it are hit with 2 damage, including your own. Any bomb that is hit is destroyed.
6 – Special ability: remove one of your bombs from the board and destroy an enemy target that is adjacent or diagonal to the 6
B – Loses against any attacking unit
F – Permanently revealed at the start of the game (dragons are arrogant creatures)
Global – -1 when adjacent to water

Dwarves:
5 – When a unit in the spaces adjacent or diagonal to and in front of the 5 is scouted by a 2, you may instead reveal the 5, destroy the 2, and treat the unit as if it were never scouted.
6 – Special ability: place a dead bomb on a free square adjacent to the 6.

joel_f · « **Reply #2 on:** July 22, 2013, 12:33:12 PM »

Elves:
5 – Special ability: hit enemy target up to 4 moves away with 2 damage. 5 is not revealed.
6 – Stationary; Special ability: hit enemy target up to 2 moves away with 3 damage
Global – May take two turns in a row if a special ability is used in at least one of those turns.

Fire Elementals:
5 – Special ability: choose an enemy unit adjacent to the 5 and remove the 5. This unit is now “engulfed”. Engulfed units inflict 3 damage on all adjacent or diagonal units controlled by the same player at the beginning of each turn. If a unit remains engulfed for 3 full turns, destroy it at the end of the third turn. If an engulfed unit enters a square that is adjacent or diagonal to water, it ceases to be engulfed.
6 – Special ability: Remove n other 6s from the board and permanently reveal the 6. The 6 becomes a “level n inferno” with infinite strength. Any unit that would win an engagement against a level 1 or higher inferno loses that engagement instead, and any time such an inferno would be removed from the board it is not. If two infernos engage, they each lose a number of levels equal to the level of the lower one. For each turn after its creation that an inferno does not engage an enemy unit of strength 5 or greater, it loses 1 level at the end of the turn. If an inferno is at level 0, it dies immediately.
Global – -1 when adjacent to water.

Goblins:
5 – Special ability: select an adjacent friendly bomb and move the two to the same space (either where the 5 or the bomb is); they travel together, but are treated as a bomb. The next time the 5 enters an engagement all pieces involved are discarded.
6 – You may add to any engagement involving the 6 up to two units (strength 6 or lower) adjacent or diagonal to the attack, revealing all involved units, before your opponent reveals his unit. Opponent decides how to distribute damage equal to his unit’s attack strength.
F – Permanently revealed at the start of the game (goblins are dumb)
Global – May make two moves per turn, -1 strength

Knights:
5 – Special ability: if the 5 is adjacent or diagonal to a launched bomb, remove all units adjacent or diagonal to the launched bomb except the flag (see B for more details).
6 – Special ability: move any number of spaces in a straight line until reaching the first square that is adjacent or diagonal to an enemy unit and then immediately engage one such unit. When moving multiple squares, strength is increased by 1.
B – Lose all engagements. Special ability: permanently reveal and move a bomb to a space 3-5 squares in front of it. The space need not be free, but must not be adjacent or diagonal to any of your units. The bomb is now considered “launched”. Units may move through the space it occupies, but may not engage it, and it is immune to all effects.
Global – All mobile units may move or attack diagonally.

Lemmings:
2 – Special ability: scout the same enemy unit with three separate 2s in the same turn. If that piece is of strength 9 or higher, remove it.
B – Loses all engagements, and if not diffused (by a 3, for example) resurrect all dead units other than bombs and secretly place them anywhere in your starting area. If there is not enough room, place as many as can fit.
Global – -1½ strength

Lightning Elementals:
B – Loses all engagements. Mobile only if destination is water. When moving into a body of water, remove the bomb and inflict 4 damage to all enemy units adjacent or diagonal to that body of water.
S – Not mobile, loses all engagements. Special ability: reveal a unit provided that you control a unit on every space along a path to the target unit. This ability does not reveal the spy.
Global – All mobile units may move to any space on the board, provided that you control a unit on every space along the path to the target space. If the unit on the last square along this path is a 5 and the moving unit lands on an empty square adjacent to another 5, then you may reveal both 5s to make another move with that unit provided the first square in its path is occupied by the latter 5. If such a movement would result in an engagement, the moving unit’s strength is reduced by 1½ during that engagement.

joel_f · « **Reply #3 on:** July 22, 2013, 12:34:34 PM »

Ogres:
2, 3 – Lose natural abilities
9, 10, S – Placed and permanently revealed before setup (ogres are REALLY dumb)
F – Placed and permanently revealed before setup. May not be placed on the edge of the board (ogres are REALLY dumb).
Global –

½ strength; as long as you control a bomb, you must spend your turn removing a bomb and a unit adjacent to it, other than a bomb, from the board. If you cannot, you lose.

Psychics:
9, 10 – Special ability: guess the identity of a unit adjacent or diagonal to the 9 or 10 (may “guess” silently if unit belongs to you). If correctly guessed, move that unit to any square adjacent or diagonal to the piece that used this ability. If that space is occupied by a unit (either yours or an enemy unit), the two units immediately engage.
Global – Special ability: choose an enemy unit adjacent or diagonal to one of your units. Reveal that unit without revealing your own. If such a unit is of rank 9 or 10, the enemy flag is also revealed.

Robots:
5 – Special ability: choose a weaker lone piece adjacent to the 5 and move both pieces to same square (either where the 5 is or where the other piece is). These are now treated as a single unit with the combined strength of both. If there are ever fewer single 5s than combined 5s, then all weaker components attached to the 5s are removed from the board.
6 – Special ability: remove the 6 and simultaneously place any number of weaker dead units in its old square and/or those adjacent to it that are free. The sum of the strengths of the weaker units must not exceed 6, and the units must not include the spy.
B – Mobile. If attacking, it is diffused by units of strength 7 or higher.
If attacked, diffused by units of rank 9 or higher.

Secret Agents:
2 – May reveal an enemy unit by moving adjacent to it rather than engaging
6 – When attacked, 6 may be exchanged with any other friendly unit on the board after your opponent reveals his unit. The two units switch squares and the move is treated as if the replacement unit had been attacked.
B – Instead of the normal bomb effect, when a bomb is attacked, remove all units (yours and opponents) adjacent and diagonal to the bomb and on the bomb’s space and replace all of them except the bomb on any of the aforementioned spaces.
Global – Don’t reveal units upon winning an engagement (except as necessary to determine the outcome). If both players need not reveal ranks, the attacker reveals his rank.

Shadows:
Global – -1 strength. When any piece you control is attacked and dies, except the flag, your opponent must remove a piece, at the end of the turn, if able, according to the following: If the attacked piece is a numbered piece, he must remove a piece whose rank is exactly 1 lower than that of the attacked piece. If it is a bomb or spy, he must remove the same.

Soul Shifters:
S – Special ability: remove the spy. Make your opponent’s next move. You may look at his pieces.
Global – Special ability: remove all units except one of some rank (other than bombs) of which you have at least two units. Choose a race. The remaining unit of that rank acquires the properties specific to that rank for that race for the remainder of the game.

Spirits:
5 – When engaging, may optionally possess the enemy unit after it is revealed if it is of strength 8 or lower. If it does, you now control that unit, and the 5 is removed.
6 – Every 6 is either “dematerialized” or “materialized” and starts off materialized. When it is dematerialized, it is revealed, it may move through occupied spaces, other units may move through the space it occupies, it cannot engage enemy units, and it is immune to all effects. Special ability: change the state of the 6. If it is materialized on a space occupied by a friendly unit or the enemy flag, it dies. If it is occupied by any other unit, it engages the unit.

joel_f · « **Reply #4 on:** July 22, 2013, 12:35:31 PM »

Time Elementals:
2 – Loses scout ability
5, 6 – Special ability: remove this unit and choose one of the following: 1) revert the state of the game to its state at the beginning of your last turn (you may not do this twice in a row; this does not replace the removed piece), 2) take three additional turns after this one, or 3) your opponent takes three turns after this one and you take five turns after that, then play resumes as normal with your opponent’s turn. Special abilities may not be used during additional turns gained by these special abilities.
B – If a unit engaging the bomb would normally die, it instead dies at the end of its controller’s next turn.

Water Elementals:
2 – Loses scout ability
5 – Every 5 is either “liquefied” or “not liquefied” and starts off not liquefied. When it is liquefied, it is revealed, it is not mobile, other units may move through the space it occupies, it cannot engage enemy units, and it is immune to all effects. Special ability: change the state of the 5. If a 5 is changed from being liquefied and is on a space occupied by a friendly unit or the enemy flag, it dies. If it is occupied by any other unit, it engages the unit. A space containing a liquefied 5 is treated as a water space, but only for the purposes of assigning bonuses to the Water Elemental race.
Global – +½ when adjacent to water, -½ otherwise. May occupy water spaces and when doing so, are immune to effects.

Zombies:
5 – Enemy units beaten by the 5 in an engagement spawn adjacent to it as your own
6 – Special ability: resurrect up to two weaker dead units other than the spy onto free space(s) adjacent to the 6
B – When engaged, the bomb dies. The opposing unit gets -1 for two more of your opponent’s turns and then dies on the third turn.

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Author Topic: Stratego Modification (Read 5204 times)

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Stratego Modification

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